Claiming a mandate from his election romp over Mitt Romney, President Barack Obama announced on Friday that he had invited congressional leaders to the White House next week for talks on how to steer the battered economy away from a “fiscal cliff.” Obama said he was open to compromise with Republicans—but that any final deal needed to raise taxes on the richest Americans.

“This was a central question during the election,” the president said in brief remarks in the East Room of the White House. “It was debated over and over again, and on Tuesday night we found out that a majority of Americans agree with my approach.

“Our job now is to get a majority in Congress to reflect the will of the American people,” Obama said. “I’m not wedded to every detail of my plan. I’m open to compromise. I’m open to new ideas. I’m committed to solving our fiscal challenges. But I refuse to accept any approach that isn’t balanced.”

“The American people understand that we’re going to have differences and disagreements in the months to come. They get that,” Obama said. “But on Tuesday, they said loud and clear that they won’t tolerate dysfunction, they won’t tolerate politicians who view compromise as a dirty word—not when so many Americans are still out of work.

“What the American people are looking for is cooperation, they’re looking for consensus, they’re looking for common sense. Most of all they want action,” the president said. “I intend to deliver for them in my second term, and I expect to find willing partners in both parties to make that happen.
“So let’s get to work.”

We just had an election, and the solution to our problems is "we'd better kick ass during the next mid-term election too"? F*** that. I say we use the threat of being trounced in the mid-terms to break the party-of-no's resolve. Romney's staggering defeat burst a huge bubble. We just need keep the pressure up about how republicans keep blocking and filibustering everything that doesn't go 100% their way. We have to publicly hammer them for their obstructionism like never before.

And most of all, get this s*** on youtube. The 1%ers wanted SuperPACs. I say we make 'em choke on SuperPAC funded negative ads. Poetic f***ing justice.

...what? No really, what? You'd rather just sit and wait two more years, crossing your fingers? I don't.

Sadly, the GOP used the 2010 midterms to gerrymander their districts to protect their turf, and they did hold onto to House. Now the GOP has to cough up a budget that Obama will sign. The onus is on them, otherwise sequestration hits and makes the upcoming recession even worse. Obama doesn't have to run again, so its all on the GOP members in the house to either get sane and tell Norquist to take a hike or continue their fealty to Norquist and tank the country.

Norquist is on record for wanting to shrink government and drown it in a bathtub. Seems the GOP is willing to assist him in his endeavour.

Um, wasn't that my point? That the onus is on the GOP congressmen, therefore we should pressure them like never before?

Gerrymandering, shmerrymandering. They can lose the house in 2014 if we make their obstructionism the #1 topic in political discourse and keep it there. Add to that their cutting of social welfare benefits while refusing to increase taxes on mega-corporations which ship jobs overseas, and you've got the perfect hard, sticky mud to sling at them.

The GOP swears fealty to that out-of-touch ideologue Norquist because he holds their campaign purse-strings. But republican senator Lisa Murkowski proved resisting Norquist is not impossible in Alaska. Alaska! Sarah Palin's f***ing turf. Force those congressmen to choose between Norquist and being electable, and they'll drop him and his "pledge" like an obnoxious first-date.